The international cosmetics brand, Clarins, has a humble beginning. Founded by a man with a vision to provide his patients (yes, he was first a doctor) spa treatments and beauty products that added as much to a woman’s sense of well-being as they did to her outward appearance, Clarins grew into one of the most recognized names in luxury cosmetics today.

To celebrate the brand’s 60th anniversary, Dr. Olivier Courtin-Clarins put together this book of super strategic tips, compiled from both his expertise in women’s health and beauty and also from a worldwide base of their devoted beauty bloggers who submitted questions to him deserving of worthy answers. The result is, Doctor, I Want To Be The Fairest Of Them All, a delightful book only just translated from the French into English in time for the new year.

Docteur, Je Veux Etre La Plus Belle

That is the title in French and each chapter offers targeted and practical advice. The foreword, offered by Dr. Courtin-Clarins, states that, “Your face tells it all. What a pleasure it is to see life’s contentment harmoniously written there…Over time our faces reflect who we are. They are an expression of ourselves and reveal our personalities.”

Providing Beauty Advice Has Always Been Part of The Clarins DNA

Chapters in this little red book of beauty tips include: Killer Legs, A Star Even On The Road, A Flat Stomach A Small Waist And A Great Bottom, A Regal Bearing and Forever Youthful…

There are illustrated pages throughout the book and one of them even teaches you a quick morning massage to really wake you up with a sidebar giving you a recipe for a healthy breakfast. Below, on the same page is a Night Massage to help you sleep well. There is advice to, “from time to time or once a year” do a slimming or firming treatment at the spa.

In short, the book is full of priceless bits of beauty advice and much of it that you can self-administer. And it’s all about whole-body beauty, something that has always been at the root of the Clarins philosophy.

This interview below is excerpted from a special interview given by Prisca Courtin-Clarins, the granddaughter of the founder of the cosmetics line, for the ultra-luxurious Spa My Blend by Clarins that you can find at the Royal Monceau in Paris.

Q&A with Prisca Courtin-Clarins, Director of Strategic Projects and Spa Activities (and blogger on the BeautyFlashBlog.com a Clarins blog)

If Clarins Were A Woman

My preferred virtue: Respect

My dominant character trait: Kindness

What character trait I most prefer in a man: Gentleness

What character train I most prefer in women: femininity

My biggest character flaw: Perfectionism

My strongest quality: Listening

What I appreciate most in my friends: Loyalty

My favorite thing to do: Research

My ideal of happiness: The Fountain of Youth

What would be my greatest disappointment: The extinction of biodiversity

Earth Day is right around the corner! Celebrate this special day with a beautiful, eco-luxe piece of jewelry for yourself or for someone special from Brilliance. Although the terms eco-friendly and luxury may seem to be on opposite ends of the spectrum, they no longer are with Brilliance. We’ve included several selections that we think you’ll love and will make you look at jewelry in a new way!

Brilliance also offers Canadian diamonds and strictly adheres to the Canadian Diamond Code of Conduct, which guarantees every diamond in their inventory is mined and processed in an environmentally and socially-conscious manner. Their diamonds are hand-picked by gemologists and each can be traced back to the region of their origin.They are also manufactured in the United States by master jewelers.

By using recycled metals and conflict-free diamonds, combined with their specialized processes for creating luxury keepsakes, Brilliance produces the highest-quality jewelry, which is their hallmark.

Look Younger Naturally

Shake up your daily routine, turn back the age clock, and bring out the best in your skin and your looks. Yes, all are possible, right now! This plan will revitalize you, inside and out. Result: Look and feel years younger…relaxed, radiant and renewed.(*I recommend you start this on a Saturday so the relaxing day coincides with Sunday)

Spring is the perfect time for new beginning and to deepen or renew your “green” resolutions. Each time you are about to put something in or on your body, ask yourself the question,“Is this bringing health, beauty and harmony to my body?” If not, just don’t do it! Going green is about respecting yourself enough not to trash your beautiful body.

1. Remove Toxins: Make sure that ALL your skincare and make-up is absolutely free of any toxic ingredients like preservatives or fragrance. If not STOP using them at least for this 8-day makeover. I cannot state this enough, more and more scientific studies show that these toxic ingredients are not only bad for your health, but they make you age faster by creating free radicals.

If you’ve never experienced what our fresh skincare can do for your skin, try our 7-product Discovery Kit for only $29 (Value $75). This is a super complete beauty treatment.

3. Add Exfoliation to your Skincare Routine: Every other day with our Jojoba Beads exfoliant. This will slough off all dead winter skin. Don’t forget neck décolleté and hands. This Jojoba Beads Exfoliant is a real miracle worker; tough enough to remove dead skin cells, yet gentle enough not to damage fresh new ones. An absolute key to fresh glowing spring skin!

4. GREEN your Diet: An easy way to achieve a “greener diet” is to start your day with a green smoothie. For those who missed my Green smoothie Detox, download the PDF for some great recipes.

5. Go Meat and Dairy Free for a Week: I promise you will LOVE the results. First, you will shed off pounds; second, your skin will clear and glow; third, it will help all of us breathe better. The United Nations estimates that greenhouse gas emissions from meat/dairy production accounts for more than the combined emissions from planes, trains and automobiles.Scary no?

Replace meat with avocados beans, lentils, quinoa, brown rice, and baked potatoes. Pair them with big mixed salads. Dare to mix greens and fruits like mangoes, apples, and pears… Top with a few nuts (walnuts, pecans, pine nuts, sunflower seeds) for a boost of omega 3s. Dress with a little lemon juice and virgin olive oil.

6. Choose Organic: This is the most powerful way you say NO to pesticides, hormones, and antibiotics, that all wreak havoc on your hormones with terrible consequences on both your skin and health. Check out the dirty dozen, clean 15 lists. I know organic is more expensive but when you go meat-dairy free your grocery bill becomes cheaper and SO much healthier!

7. Go Outside and Take in Nature: Spend at least 20 minutes outside today – and for the 7 days to come. Soak in some ‘vitamin G’ (for green). Mother Nature can be extremely therapeutic and the fresh air will do you, and your skin a world of good.

Relaxing never seems to make it onto the to-do list but today, relaxing is your to-do list!

1. Make time for yourself: If you have kids, arrange for someone to take care of them. Book ½ day with yourself; write it in your agenda so you are sure to not miss the important meeting with yourself.

2. Give yourself a facial: Run a nice hot bath; charge it with a few drops of essential oils. Let the steam from the water open your pores. Exfoliate with the Jojoba beads exfoliant to remove all dead skin cells. Rinse and follow with a thick layer of the Deep Hydration Masque to infuse your skin with revitalizing antioxidants. Let it sit for 10 min, while you soak and rest in your bath. Rinse off masque, and with a loofah exfoliate your entire body. If you are courageous finish with a quick cold water shower.

3. Pamper yourself: Get a massage, stay in bed all morning or do anything that makes you feel like a queen, you are one!

4. Practice deep breathing and do it at least twice a day for the next 7 days, preferably at around the same time each day. This will help establish a breathing routine that calms you, refocuses your energy, and brings very soothing oxygen to stressed skin. Here is one I like: Inhale and exhale through your nose, mentally counting "in-two-three, and then "pause-two-three” and then “out-two-three," During the pause, don’t breathe in or out; just rest comfortably. Do this 5 times. Over time, increase the count to four ("in-two-three-four, out-two-three-four"), then to five, until you reach a number that’s comfortable to you.

5. Have Sex! Yep, sex (with a partner or on your own) can help relax you and get your skin glowing again.

Stay green of course!

You are already Greener since day one. Remember that healthy glowing skin comes from proper skin care paired with an antioxidants rich diet. Plants are the only real source of antioxidant, with fish that is high in vitamin E. Plant foods also have a very low amount of calories compared to animal food. So, if you want to maintain a healthy weight, plant-based food is also a better choice.

4. Quench your thirst: Make sure you drink enough water. The rule is ½ your weight in oz. If you weigh 120lbs, you need to drink 60 oz. If you have a hard time with this add slices of lime, lemon, cucumber or mint in your water. Skin will wrinkle faster without adequate moisture. Just like the plant, when skin loses moisture, it gets dry. Dry skin shows wrinkles more and causes skin to sag faster than it would normally. Skin will plump up nicely when the skin cells are hydrated.

Keep going green and relaxing!

1. Includeat least 30 minutes of physical activity today, and schedule time for more active half hours over the next few days. Choose something you enjoy. There’s no point in being miserable. The goal is to raise your heartbeat. Whether it’s turning on some music and dancing, going for a power walk/run with your dog, taking a bike ride – there are plenty of options for doing your body good. Exercise during the day helps you fall asleep at night and improves the quality of your beauty sleep. Just another one of the health benefits of physical activity.

2. Treat Yourself to Something Special! Reward yourself with an hour today or tomorrow (1 full hour) to do anything you’d like. Get a nice hair cut/color, go shopping, have a mani/pedi or simply veg in front of the TV!

Remember to go green, relax and eat well!

Laughter is the best medicine and is so good for your looks. Happy vibes will do more for your looks; now that’s a facelift! We are so caught up in busy schedules and responsibilities, we often forget that fun should be part of our day.

1. Connect with a friend: Today schedule time to spend an evening of fun time with people who are meaningful in your life — who make you laugh or inspire you. Pick up the phone and call someone you love and who loves you. Arrange for sharing a tea or maybe your 20 minutes in nature. Try the co-counseling routine: If you are going to be 20 min together, each one gets 10 min to talk while the other one is only listening – Not offering advice or sharing their personal life experience. This is all about expressing for one and listening for the other one. Then switch. You will be amazed at the result. Here are some subjects ‘What do you love about yourself?’ ‘What are you truly passionate about?’ ‘What makes you happy?’

Keep moving, eating right, going green and relaxing!

"Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties." Hellen Keller

Inner Beauty is a concept used to describe the positive aspects of something that is not physically observable. Feelings have dramatic effects on our beauty. We all have experienced days when we feel beautiful and other days when we feel just awful for no given reason. When we are in love, it shows…Pregnant women have a radiating beauty…

Your face reflects your emotions. Why do we smile on camera? Because we look better with a happy feeling on our face rather than a feeling of anger, fear or resentment.

1. Focus on the Positive. Try this tonight: Make a gratitude list for the day. Write down three great things that happened during your day. They don’t have to be out of this world. They can be as simple as the fact that you ate well all day, or that you hit a big deadline at work or that the sky at sunset was beautiful. Just three good things, simple as that! Tomorrow when you wake up, before you get out of bed, bring to your mind three things that you are grateful for. Again can be as simple as a bird singing. At any time during the day when stress hits, recall your gratefulness and let it melt away the adverse effects of bad energy.

Continue to have fun, move your body, eat well, go green and relax!

Get More Beauty Sleep: If you don’t have any early obligations today, sleep in as long as you like. If you have to get up early, take a nap later in the afternoon. The ideal time for a nap is about 8 hours after you get up — that’s when your body temperature naturally takes a little dip (a sleep inducer); it’s part of your normal biological rhythm. So give in, and experience the beauty benefits of a little power nap.

How to Power Nap:
1. Take off your shoes, and get comfy on a reclining chair, couch, or bed. Close the blinds, or turn away from any direct sunlight.
2. Set an alarm for 30 minutes. That gives you 10 to fall asleep and 20 for your actual nap.
3. Avoid napping after 3 p.m., it can disrupt your nighttime sleep.
Continue focusing on inner beauty, greening your life, having fun, moving your body, eating well and relaxing!

CONGRATULATIONS! You’re about to complete our 8-Day Spring Make-Over! You should be looking and feeling younger but also happier, healthier, proud of your accomplishment and more whole; less stressed, more you.

By continuing some of the new habits you’ve picked up in the last 8 days, you’ll keep looking and feeling terrific, not just for now, but for life. When it comes to staying young forever, preventative measures are more effective than treatments. People who work to maintain their youth are often in better physical shape and experience a sense of well-being that promotes good emotional health.

3. Make a lemon pledge! Skin-cell turnover slows as you age, causing your complexion to look uneven. Combat this with a simple homemade peel: Apply two tablespoons of fresh lemon juice on your face using a cotton ball, avoiding your eye area. Leave on for about 10 minutes, and then rinse with tepid water.

4. Check your vitamin D level. It is a simple blood test and most women are deficient. A growing body of research shows that deficiency of the nutrient can trigger a slew of health problems.

White Willow Salicins and Natural Retinol Liposomes are just a couple of the ingredients in this latest evolution of Suki Tinted Active Moisturizer. If there’s one thing that Suki does, it’s that she listens… she listens to her skin’s needs, she listens to her clients’ skin needs and then she develops and formulates her synthetic-free advanced technology pure makeup accordingly.

I’ve never had the luxury of applying a foundation that actually feels like it’s soothing as it makes contact with my sensitive facial skin. In this much-improved product, the Suki Tinted Active Moisturizer, my skin benefits from the comfrey-sourced allantoin to make the application feel like a treatment for my skin that I’m applying underneath the rest of my makeup.

I’ve also learned to regulate the thickness of coverage by taking Suki’s advice and mixing a pump of the foundation with a dab of my favorite Suki Balancing Day Lotion to achieve a lighter coverage for day. For evening, I often use the tinted moisturizer, that goes on like a foundation alone for deeper coverage.

I love that when I wear this makeup, I can trust that it’s boosting my natural cell turnover and collagen synthesis. That it fights free radicals with its vitamin packed antioxidant, a proprietary Suki blend of high potency botanic concentrate, is a big bonus, especially amidst big city living. And don’t get me wrong, I truly appreciate the anti-wrinkle properties she’s formulated with vegetable-sourced retinol polypeptide liposomes, but it’s the soothing feel my skin adores from the product’s standardized white willow bark based ingredient when I smooth on a swath of it across my cheeks, chin, forehead and nose in the mornings. That’s when I feel ready and good to greet the day.

Cannes, France May 25th – the following celebrities wore Bulgari jewelry at the 2012 amfAR’s Cinema Against AIDS during the 65th Annual Cannes Film Festival at Hotel Du Cap on May 24th, 2012 in Cap D’Antibes, France.

Petra Nemcova

·Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

·Julianna Margulies

Petra wore a white gold and diamond necklace, diamond stud earrings and a white gold, diamond and ruby ring, all from Bulgari’s High Jewelry Collection

“Luxury also means having the opportunity to contribute to helping those in need, as has Eva Longoria for many years. We totally share her values and we do everything in our power to support her.” – David Manoukian – Founder of The-Sphere.com.

The Eva Longoria Foundation was established in 2010 by actress, activist and philanthropist Eva Longoria. This foundation has been established primarily for, but not limited to, two charitable causes: women in the Latino community and children. Our vision is to give women and girls the tools they need to reach their potential. The Eva Longoria Foundation supports programs that help girls excel in school and attend college. Additionally, we work to provide female entrepreneurs with career training, mentorship, capital and opportunity. By investing in women and girls, we hope to build a stronger future for our world. For more information, http://www.evalongoriafoundation.org/.

Want to get a jump on Earth Day this year? Here’s your chance to do something good for the children of Bolivia and Ghana – and smell good doing so!

For the second year in a row, Armani’s Acqua di Gio will give 100 liters of potable water to needy children in Bolivia and Ghana for any perfume sold between March 19 and 25th in the Acqua di Gio line by Alberto Morillas. Here’s your chance to try the line’s newest fragrance: Essenza.

All set for perfume at present? Not to worry. Simply by going to the line’s FB page, and clicking on “Like,” they will sponsor 50liters of potable water for the designated needy children. Now wasn’t that easy?

[This guest post is by Jemima Lopez. You can read more about her on the website: Zen College Life]

The carpet may havebeen red at the 84th Academy Awards, but if fashion designers have anything to do with it, future star-stilted award ceremonies will soon be filled with a lot more green in the coming months—GiorgioArmani, Chanel, Tom Ford, Karl Lagerfeld, Gucci, and Yves Saint Laurent are just some of the few designers who are rumored to have been inspired by the stunning eco-friendly dresses seen at last Sunday’s award ceremony.

Hundreds of professional and aspiring fashion designers submitted gowns made of sustainable products earlier this year to compete in the third annual Red Carpet Green Dress Contest. This contest, which was initiated in 2009 by environmental advocate and wife of Director James Cameron, Suzy Amis Cameron, was created in the hopes of significantly reducing the environmental footprint fashion can have on the planet. Contest winners had the opportunity of seeing their gowns worn by some of the hottest Hollywood stars at the Oscars, including Best Actress winner Meryl Steep, on Feb 26. That said, below are some of the winners as well as the Hollywood stars who rocked the dresses.

Designer: ValentinoStar: Livia FirthItalian movie producer and environmental advocate Livia Firth wore this lavish, bright red custom-made couture Valentino gown, which according to the “fashion police” was beautiful enough to dub her as one of the best dressed. What many didn’t know however was that the fabric was a hybrid of polyester derived from recycled plastic bottles and Valentino’s house silk. She also wore diamond earrings from Celleija, a sustainable jeweler. Hubby Colin Firth did his part to sustain the planet too—he recycled the Tom Ford suit he wore to the Academy Awards the year before.

February 5, 2012 Indianapolis, IN – Madonna wore Bulgari earrings during her half time performance at the Super Bowl. The earrings (Ref. E1433 / 3421) are from Bulgari’s High Jewelry Collection, and are made of white gold and diamonds (19.6 cts).

Question of the day: who can tell us if the diamonds and gold are ethically sourced?